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Monday, July 4, 2016

The latest issue of Creative Spark from Znet Shows is here! This issue is full of their new sizes and shapes of cultured sea glass with a tiny bit of Chinese crystals thrown in. As always, thank you Hope of Crafty Hope for putting this beautiful issue together!!

I wanted the earrings to be very bright and summery, so used the tangerine cultured sea glass donut pendant (P02-B83XS), yellow cultured sea glass round beads (S03-57-ONE) and Swarovski crystal bicones that I had in my stash.

For my first necklace, I used the same yellow cultured sea glass round beads as above, a teal cultured sea glass fancy shard pendant (P18-B82), with light blue and green beads that I had in my stash. I wire wrapped the yellow beads to my chain and used the light blue and green beads to make the rest of the chain for the necklace.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

I always love working with ZnetShows and the team of designers - this was no exception! The Winter 2105 edition of Creative Sparks' theme is 'icy' - I received an array of beautiful blue sea glass beads to work with!

The first pair of earrings I used vintage glass pieces from a chandelier and a pearl drop with the cultured sea glass sand dollar pendant (33-Royal blue – P49-B33S).

I wanted to use one of the large cultured sea glass starfish beads (33-Royal Blue - S27-B30SXT) as the focal of a bracelet. I then added the cultured sea glass barrel nugget beads (28-Turquoise Bay,
S79-B28S), pearl, a fish charm, faceted silver spacer beads and toggle.

I made a simple necklace using the same large royal blue starfish and added smaller pearls and crystals from my stash, that's not in the magazine

I want to thank Hope and the Znet Team for this wonderful opportunity! Now sit back and enjoy all of the lovely deigns in Creative Spark from the Znet Design Team members!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

There was another call out to ZnetShows Design Team members for a Summer Challenge - to make one daytime (casual) and one nighttime (dressy) set for the latest edition of Creative Spark magazine.

I picked the colors, blue and yellow, and ZnetShows picked the beads.

My pieces could be worn for Summer Days or Summer Nights - they are casual-blingy enough for either.

For my first set, I used the Sea Glass teardrop, opaque blue (S77-B46), and turquoise and orange crystals from my own stash for the earrings. The bracelet has a Sea Glass fancy ring, desert gold (PMX7-B16), Sea Glass freeform curved pendant (P16-B46) and the same turquoise and orange crystals.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

The 8th Bead Soup Blog Party is on! A great big Thank You to Lori Anderson of Pretty Things for all of the hard work she puts into her pride and joy, the Bead Soup Blog Party!!

My ever-so-talented partner, Christina Miles of Wings and Scales, made me two - yes 2!! - or her amazing pendants!! They are little pieces of artwork - I feel so lucky that she sent me two!! She made the clasp and connectors, too!! It's too bad she doesn't live a couple states closer because I'd definitely take a roadtrip to visit her so I could learn how to make them!

I started with the lovely sun pendant and wire wrapped some of the beads that Chris sent me - they go perfectly with the pendant! I wanted to highlight the amazing pendant, so I only added a few beads on each side, used the handmade clasp and some of the sari silk she sent.

Another close up of the pendant, copper clasp and connectors that Chris made

I made a pair of earrings to go with the necklace - I chose silver because I like to mix metals when I wear them.

I wanted to make a bracelet with some of the beads Chris sent me, so I found the bird focal in my stash and started adding beads to it. I used flower beads and a small Humblebeads pendant that were in my stash.

I was having a hard time deciding how to make the sweet bird pendant shine - I finally got inspired yesterday. I used beads and connectors from the soup that Chris sent and added blue beads from a rosary that was my Mom's which I feel is fitting since this is Mother's Day weekend. I knotted a bit of sari silk to the pendant and added some copper chain from my stash.

I really love the pendants Chris sent me and hope I did them justice! I'll definitely cherish them!! I can't wait to see the beautiful jewelry she made with her soup!!

Thank you for stopping by!! Please check out all of the participants in the party - here's the link to the party - all wonderfully talented designers!

Monday, April 7, 2014

I want to introduce you to a fabulous artist, my new friend, Christina Miles of Wings and Scales!
Chris started out painting beautiful paintings and, now, makes sweet
fairy and mermaid dolls, designs jewelry, is a ZnetShows design team
member and has recently started painting lovely little cabachons - I'm
the lucky recipient of two of her creations!! She is also the mother of 2
wonderful young men, lives in Northern California, likes the beach and
to travel whenever she can.

This is what I received from
Chris - her handmade pendants are gorgeous and the copper clasp and
connectors that she made are perfect!! The wood beads, orange beads, bead strands and recycled sari silk will go great with the pendants!

Chris, also, sent me a bag full of vintage pendants and teardrops - so many little pretties to play with !!

You can find more of Chris' amazing creations on her Etsy shop and more of her beautiful artwork and jewelry can be found on her Flickr page.

I
went to work on the earrings first. I made a beachy pair of earrings using the concave coin pendant, turquoise bay (P31-B28S) along with my own coin puffed beads, peridot (S15-B23SFIV) and shell charm.

I wanted to make a beachy bracelet, so I started with the sea glass oval ring, peridot (S62-B23S)
and added to it. I used some of the thrifted chain and spacers I
received from the 7th Bead Soup Blog Party and added some of the sea
glass pebbles, aquamarine (BDS1926-03) and my own sea glass rondelles, light green ceramic rounds and a starfish charm.

I made a swingy, springy pair of earrings with the Chinese crystal cubes, tangerine (RT250-83A) , rondelle beads, lemon (RS126-84AB), and rondelles, clear (RS127-01) along with my own fuschia Swarovski crystal bicones.

I wanted to make a simple, long, blingy necklace that can be worn with a T-shirt and jeans or a night on the town. I used a Chinese crystal nugget faceted bead, tan (RS267-69) along with a gold faceted coin bead, square glass nugget bead, light yellow (RS202-68) and clear teardrop.

The last piece is completely blingy and fun! For the first row, I used the Chinese crystal glass oval beads, jet black (RS228-02S) with some of my glass cube beads, jet black (RT255-02). The second row is the diagonal drilled glass cubes, crystal AB (RS271-01AB) and my glass rondelle beads, crystal clear (RS152-01). For the third row, I used glass bicone beads, crystal AB (RS270-01AB) and my jet black faceted teardrops.

To be able to work with ZnetShows and all of the amazing designers is always such an honor! Everyone involved is so wonderful and helpful that it makes it a fun venture every time I'm asked!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

I was chosen as one of the lucky thirteen designers who will be in the Spring Glossi for ZnetShows!! There was a massive response, so it really was luck!

I was so excited when I received my package of beads from ZnetShows! It always feels like Christmas every time I open one of their boxes - this was no exception! I squealed with delight when I saw the massive amount of lovelies!!

Look at all of the fun seaglass shapes in pretty spring pastels!

And the beautiful, sparkly crystals! So many crystals ........

The big reveal for the spring Glossi soon, so please check back. In the meantime, check out the wonderful pearl designs in the Creative Spark winter issue.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

When Lisa Lodge of Pine Ridge Treasures put out the call for sign-ups for the 'I Love Clay Blog Hop', I didn't realize life would be as busy as it is right now!! But, I always love joining Lisa's blog hops because they are always fun and make me stretch my design abilities.

I decided to use some of my beautiful seaglass beads from ZnetShows and went to work! I wire wrapped the seaglass beads with copper wire and attached them to antique copper double spiral links. I attached the cute fish pendant with Irish waxed linen, added copper chain and a little "fish-hook" toggle.

Please check out all of the lovely designers and their designs. I will be going through the hop on Monday since I'm meeting my sisters in NYC this weekend! Enjoy the hop!!

Monday, November 11, 2013

ZnetShows offered their design team the opportunity to contribute bracelets for The Global Genes Project, a patient advocacy organization that supports those who are affected with rare and unusual genes.

Their symbol is a blue jean ribbon, so we were asked to pick two different sea glass, crystal or pearl beads and make bracelets.